Jan. 19, 2022 General Newsletter

Upcoming Services:
8:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday: In-person worship. The 11 a.m. service will also be livestreamed on NorthChurchIndy.com.

Child care is available during the Sunday school hour and 11 a.m. service. Children, youth, and adult Sunday school classes are at 9:45 a.m. Children’s Church is at 11 a.m.

Persons over 2 years old are required to wear a mask or facial covering while in the building through Jan. 31, 2022.
This Sunday in Worship:
This Sunday is United Methodist Women Sunday. The 2022 North Church unit officers will be installed for a year of service. You will see United Methodist Women members in all aspects of the service, celebrating the work locally, nationally, and globally that they do each year to put “faith, hope, and love in action!”
Scripture Readings:
  • Isaiah 42:1-9
  • Matthew 5:13-20
  • Psalm 146 

The bulletin will be available on our website as soon as possible. It will be in the green "Bulletins" box next to the livestreaming box on the home page. It will also be in the drop-down menu under the "Worship" tab on the home page.

Pastor Diane has prepared devotions for January, which can be downloaded here. If you would prefer to have a copy of the January devotions mailed to you, please contact Pastor Diane.

Last Sunday's service can be found below:
Last Sunday's bulletin is here.

Please continue to give by making contributions through the "online giving" tab on our website; by mailing them to the church at 3808 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208; by texting "Give" to 1-(317) 676-2061, or by using one of our offering boxes when attending in person.
Prayers
Send us your prayer requests through this email address: 
prayers@northchurchindy.com. Unless the request is marked "clergy only," it will be printed in our daily prayer bulletin, which is issued each Monday. If you would like to download the daily prayer bulletin for this week, please click here.
Attendance
A total of 40 people attended the 8:30 a.m. service last Sunday, Jan. 16, and 107 people attended the 11 a.m. service that day. Its livestream has been viewed 262 times to date.
Praying for
Our Parish:
In the Hospital, Rehabilitation Center, Hospice, or Recovering at Home:
  • Please send any correspondence to Dotti Gerner (not McClure) at Cypress Grove Rehabilitation Center, 4255 Medwell Dr., Newburgh, IN 47630
  • Nancy Pertuz-Romero is at Alpha Home — A Waters Community, 2640 Cold Springs Rd., Room 108, Indianapolis, IN 46222

Prayer List:
Throughout the year each church member is prayed for on a monthly rotating list. The list for January is here. The members for this week follow:
  • Marcia Lurie
  • Susan & Fred Machledt
  • Ann Mackey
  • Renee Madison
  • Kevin Malley & Ron Nobles
  • Burke & Lorrie Mamlin
  • Joe & Sarah Ellen Mamlin
  • Leigh Mamlin
  • Johanna, Ted, Jonah & Adam Maple
  • Sam Maple
  • Eldon Marshall





United Methodist Women
This Sunday Is UMW Sunday
Your United Methodist Women (UMW) will lead our worship and install its officers this Sunday, Jan. 23. We hope you will tune in or come to share in the celebration of the work of this powerful United Methodist organization. 

United Methodist Women is a community of women whose purpose is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative, supportive fellowship, and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.

Any woman may become a member of North's UMW. One does not have to be Methodist, attend, or be a member of North Church. To join, see any UMW member or email Amy Sell.

The photo above shows members of our Lydia Circle at Sue Childers' home recently, where they participated in a book exchange.
Discipleship and Formation
Book Study with Dr. Perry Kea Starts Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.
Join Dr. Perry Kea for a five-week book study of "After Jesus Before Christianity" by Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott, and Hal Taussig. It will be held on Mondays from Feb. 14 to March 14 from 7-8 p.m. via Zoom.

Based on almost a decade of collaborative research by the Westar Institute’s Christianity Seminar, "After Jesus, Before Christianity" (AJBC) takes a fresh look at what used to be called “Christian origins." AJBC resists the temptation to read the beginnings of the Jesus movement(s) in the light of its fifth century orthodox version (think Council of Chalcedon in 451). What the authors of AJBC found was a group of social movements more experimental, diverse, and rich than we had previously imagined. 

Dr. Kea will help North members explore some of the new insights of AJBC around the following topics: No Christians in the First Two Centuries, The Violence of Rome, The Resistance and Creativity of Communities, Forming New Identities Through Gender, The Centrality of Israel for the Jesus Movements of the First Two Centuries, and Before the New Testament. 

Participants are encouraged to purchase a copy of "After Jesus, Before Christianity" and read as much of it as possible before the first class. Prior to each class Dr. Kea will suggest chapters that relate to that week’s topic.

If you would like to participate please email Amy Sell to RSVP and receive the Zoom link.

'Theology and Violence' Study Is Underway
After a one-week delay due to illness, Pastor Sunil's four-week study on theology and violence began yesterday, Tuesday, Jan. 18. It will continue for the next three Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8 p.m. via Zoom.

In the second session this coming Tuesday we will study the racial violence of the early 20th century. The following week we will see what the Bible has to say about violence against women. The final week we will study the different interpretations of the death penalty. 

It’s not too late to register. Please email Amy to RSVP for this study and to receive the link.
Mission and Outreach
Donations to Food Pantry Can Be Placed in Gray Bin at West Entry
From Now Through Jan. 24
From now through Monday, Jan. 24 North is collecting canned goods to help replenish the shelves of the Mid-North Food Pantry after the holidays. A gray bin is in the west entry for your donations. North also helps with a financial donation, and it is happy to pass on any cash donations. However, the pantry always needs peanut butter; tuna or other canned meats; canned fruit or applesauce; pasta; canned vegetables, and dry goods like oatmeal, rice, cereal, etc. A complete list is on its website. 
Care and Nurture
Masks and Respirators: The Fit Is Important
On Jan. 14 the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated its recommendations for COVID related to masks and respirators. Key messages included: 
  • Masking is a critical public health tool for preventing the spread of COVID-19, and it is important to remember that any mask is better than no mask.
  • To protect yourself and others from COVID-19, CDC continues to recommend that you wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and you will wear consistently.
  • Masks and respirators are effective at reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, when worn consistently and correctly.
  • Some masks and respirators offer higher levels of protection than others, and some may be harder to tolerate or wear consistently than others. It is most important to wear a well-fitted mask or respirator correctly, and that it is comfortable and provides good protection.
  • While all masks and respirators provide some level of protection, properly fitted respirators provide the highest level of protection. Wearing a highly protective mask or respirator may be most important for certain higher-risk situations, or by some people at increased risk for severe disease.
  • The CDC’s mask recommendations provide information that people can use to improve how well their masks protect them.
Children and Families Ministries
Children's Sunday School Update
Due to the number of sick children and families right now, please watch your inbox, the North Church Children’s Ministry Facebook page, and the North Church Children’s Ministry YouTube channel for the weekly Sunday school lesson. 

If you missed last week's lesson, you can find it in any of those locations. The lesson was about Jesus's trip to Nazareth. You will need a piece of paper; markers or crayons; scissors, and some yarn or ribbon.

This coming Sunday we will learn about Jesus's disciples.

Children's Worship Bulletins
For those who worship at home, here are this week’s children’s worship bulletins for children 3 and up and 7 and up. For those who attend worship in person, you will find these in the children’s worship bags in the back of the sanctuary each week.
Youth Ministry
Youth Focusing on Prayer In Epiphany
The North Church youth are focusing on prayer through Epiphany. They are posting guided daily prayers/devotionals throughout the season for you to use in your own prayer time. The links to the daily prayer videos may be found on North’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as the North Youth Facebook and YouTube pages each day when they are shared.
What Time on Sundays Is Best for Youth Group?
Attention North youth families! We’re doing a survey to decide what time on Sundays works best for youth group. The link is here, and your input is requested!

Save the Date: Lenten Retreat Will Be Held in March
Mark your calendars: The youth Lenten retreat will take place the first weekend of March! GMA Dove-winning artist Mitch McVicker will perform a concert for us on Saturday, March 5. More info will come soon!
Mid-North Shepherd's Center
Shepherd's Center to Meet Jan. 26
The Mid-North Shepherd's Center will meet on Wednesday, Jan. 26 and will conclude its January program of learning about different religions. The subject on Jan. 26 is Sikhism.
Sunday Worship: 8:30 and 11 a.m.; 11 a.m. service is also livestreamed on NorthChurchIndy.com.
Sunday School: 9:45 a.m.

North United Methodist Church is an open, inclusive, and welcoming church.
We affirm that through God's redeeming love, all are one in Christ. YOU are welcome at North Church.